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[Dota 2] Nyx Assassin, Keeper of the Light, and Visage this week, and straight to CM.

Posts

One of the things I really love about this game is the sheer amount of "fuck you" ults to be found, which is part of the reason I love taking Bloodseeker out for a spin every now and then. "Why no Zues....I want you to stay right there for a few seconds."

5, maybe 6 game winning streak, this has been a good saturday. Of course most of the games I've been sucking but hey it's the assists that count right? I am loving windrunner, shackle shot might be the best ability in the game, been going orchids on her which probably isn't the best idea since her ult already maxes AS but oh well.

5, maybe 6 game winning streak, this has been a good saturday. Of course most of the games I've been sucking but hey it's the assists that count right? I am loving windrunner, shackle shot might be the best ability in the game, been going orchids on her which probably isn't the best idea since her ult already maxes AS but oh well.

Played my first game as Alchemist, was pretty fun even if I did have to compete with a Viper for cs in lane. I will say, even with my ult and Phase Boots I had a hell of a time sticking to people that I caught out, eventually I ended up buying...that item that adds a slow to your autos.

Was in low priority for a couple of hours (maybe longer, not sure when it took effect actually). I'm not sure what got me in, it's either my sporadic demonstrations of BM or the abandon in my last game where I announced I was going to leave and my team promised to report me (something came up and I was just announcing how much time I had left to play in the game). Next time I have to abandon, I'm just going to do it silently. I have 2 abandons total out of around 120 games, btw.

While learning, my strategy is to stick with support or pushers and let the more competent players pick the gankers and carries, but I need to get out of my "Oh! He is in HoN so I'll play him!" comfort zone. In the two games I was able to play with PA'ers yesterday, Dazzle (Demented Shaman in HoN) was available in Random Draft. Okay. The only problem is, I stink with DSham. Like, horribly rotten. The worst part was, though, no matter how many times I kept trying to cast Shallow Grave on the carries, I kept casting on myself - I even made sure to turn 'Double Click to Self Cast' off. Weird.

Anyhow, I need to shed my HoN safety blanket. No matter how much it is based on DotA, the two games are very different. I mean, it's nice to know what certain heroes and items do, but relying on them to act like they do in HoN is a crutch that's just keeping my leg broken and not allowing it to heal. All said, every PA'er I played with was very patient with me - thank you!

That's pretty much all you need to know about who I play in DotA 2 these days. Yes I know I need to expand my horizons, but right now Veno does what I need...give me a champ who I feel I contribute to the game with, while still learning the items and tactics and such.

I played a terrible single draft game where all five of us picked hard carries.

We lost terribly, but I'd much rather have that than the alternative. I know you guys always complain about "team five carries" in solo queue, but there's a reason people do it. Playing a carry is the best way to effect the outcome of the match if you're solo queuing; you don't have to rely on other people knowing what they're doing, you just win the game by yourself.

Battle.net: Spawnbroker#1471

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3clipseI will build a labyrinth to house the cheeseLabyrinths are awesome!Registered Userregular

I played a terrible single draft game where all five of us picked hard carries.

We lost terribly, but I'd much rather have that than the alternative. I know you guys always complain about "team five carries" in solo queue, but there's a reason people do it. Playing a carry is the best way to effect the outcome of the match if you're solo queuing; you don't have to rely on other people knowing what they're doing, you just win the game by yourself.

Personally I think more than anything else this is an argument for semi-/mid-game carries with support-like abilities like Mirana or Enchantress or Silencer, or gankers that can end up carrying by virtue of how huge they get like Pudge or Nightstalker or Storm Spirit. Five hard carries is bad because it means you're all heavily item/level dependent, which means at least three of you are getting screwed.

I played a terrible single draft game where all five of us picked hard carries.

We lost terribly, but I'd much rather have that than the alternative. I know you guys always complain about "team five carries" in solo queue, but there's a reason people do it. Playing a carry is the best way to effect the outcome of the match if you're solo queuing; you don't have to rely on other people knowing what they're doing, you just win the game by yourself.

Personally I think more than anything else this is an argument for semi-/mid-game carries with support-like abilities like Mirana or Enchantress or Silencer, or gankers that can end up carrying by virtue of how huge they get like Pudge or Nightstalker or Storm Spirit. Five hard carries is bad because it means you're all heavily item/level dependent, which means at least three of you are getting screwed.

And that's great, if you're not playing single draft! I only had one carry, my other two were supports.

5 carries in pub games is very doable if the other team doesn't know how to shut you down early. If you can play defensively long enough (don't die, don't lose towers), and all 5 players know to do this, each of the carries can effectively come into their own by mid/late game. Any team with a modicum of brainpower, however, just needs to push hard and fast against you - keeping a team of carries on the defensive in the mid to late game will ensure they are underfarmed. Hell, most carries generally don't bring much to full team fights anyway, but now they're also under-leveled and under-geared to boot.

If it works, though, you've effectively ensured you are going to have one long and boring game.

I tend to have the reverse strategy of Spawnbroker's; I'll take the optimistic (read: gullible) approach and hope the other carries know what they're doing and I'll fill the support/pusher role. Either method is a hell of a gamble, unfortunately, and is a testament to why pubs suck.

Undead Monkey on April 2012

SteamID: D3ad13XBL: InvaderJimsBnet: InvaderJims#1700

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Dac Vinfound out what Love is and it turned out to be forbidden.Registered Userregular

5 carries in pub games is very doable if the other team doesn't know how to shut you down early. If you can play defensively long enough (don't die, don't lose towers), and all 5 players know to do this, each of the carries can effectively come into their own by mid/late game. Any team with a modicum of brainpower, however, just needs to push hard and fast against you - keeping a team of carries on the defensive in the mid to late game will ensure they are underfarmed. Hell, most carries generally don't bring much to full team fights anyway, but now they're also under-leveled and under-geared to boot.

If it works, though, you've effectively ensured you are going to have one long and boring game.

I tend to have the reverse strategy of Spawnbroker's; I'll take the optimistic (read: gullible) approach and hope the other carries know what they're doing and I'll fill the support/pusher role. Either method is a hell of a gamble, unfortunately, and is a testament to why pubs suck.

But hey, at least you feel good about yourself afterwards. You weren't that guy that insta-locked a carry after the rest of the team had already picked carries.

The worst part is, I'm always the guy on my team that ends the game with the most farm when everyone picks carries.

So I can't even tell myself I should have gone support and it would've ended better. I know it makes me a dick, but it doesn't even bother me. I have a choice between:

1) Pick a carry and lose because my entire team picks carries, and I end up with the most farm.
2) Pick a support and lose because my carries don't know how to farm.

It helps that carrying is sort of my thing, but it really feels like a crap shoot a lot of the time when I solo queue. If I get lucky enough to get a semi carry in my pool, that's fantastic! Oh well, this just means more PA people need to play at 10:00 AM EST.

I know I've touched on this in previous posts, but the detail in this game... so awesome! The vast contrast in the Radiance side of the map vs. the Dire side really help sell the "good vs. evil" vibe. Every time I play I am truly awe struck.

Not to slight LoL (I still play it from time to time), but it makes me wonder how much creativity went into creating the Summoner's Rift map:

"So guys, how do we want to differentiate each side? What sort of details and nuances do we want to put in to emphasize their differences?"
"Purple vs. Blue!"

Undead Monkey on April 2012

SteamID: D3ad13XBL: InvaderJimsBnet: InvaderJims#1700

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3clipseI will build a labyrinth to house the cheeseLabyrinths are awesome!Registered Userregular

I played a terrible single draft game where all five of us picked hard carries.

We lost terribly, but I'd much rather have that than the alternative. I know you guys always complain about "team five carries" in solo queue, but there's a reason people do it. Playing a carry is the best way to effect the outcome of the match if you're solo queuing; you don't have to rely on other people knowing what they're doing, you just win the game by yourself.

Personally I think more than anything else this is an argument for semi-/mid-game carries with support-like abilities like Mirana or Enchantress or Silencer, or gankers that can end up carrying by virtue of how huge they get like Pudge or Nightstalker or Storm Spirit. Five hard carries is bad because it means you're all heavily item/level dependent, which means at least three of you are getting screwed.

And that's great, if you're not playing single draft! I only had one carry, my other two were supports.

i r read gud!

Incidentally, this is why I don't play SD.

XBL: R3clipse
Steam: BIRD BIRD KILL IT
Battle.net: Eclipse#1200

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CreamstoutWhat you think I program for, to push a fuckin' quad-core?Registered Userregular

The worst part is, I'm always the guy on my team that ends the game with the most farm when everyone picks carries.

So I can't even tell myself I should have gone support and it would've ended better. I know it makes me a dick, but it doesn't even bother me. I have a choice between:

1) Pick a carry and lose because my entire team picks carries, and I end up with the most farm.
2) Pick a support and lose because my carries don't know how to farm.

It helps that carrying is sort of my thing, but it really feels like a crap shoot a lot of the time when I solo queue. If I get lucky enough to get a semi carry in my pool, that's fantastic! Oh well, this just means more PA people need to play at 10:00 AM EST.

If you go support and actually support it would of most likely ended better. Picking another carry when your team already has 2 is bad all the time, unless you know your playing in a bracket that is way beneath your skill level. Like queue'ing with 4 friends that are new to the game.

I know I've touched on this in previous posts, but the detail in this game... so awesome! The vast contrast in the Radiance side of the map vs. the Dire side really help sell the "good vs. evil" vibe. Every time I play I am truly awe struck.

Not to slight LoL (I still play it from time to time), but it makes me wonder how much creativity went into creating the Summoner's Rift map:

"So guys, how do we want to differentiate each side? What sort of details and nuances do we want to put in to emphasize their differences?"
"Purple vs. Blue!"

Summoners Rift is just the map cut in half and flipped upside down, fyi.

My other really awesome feature of Dota 2 is how they did the character graphics. I'm not sure what they did, or if it's some kind of shader effect, but in team fights, I can make things out so much more clearly than LoL. Things get very cluster fucky graphically in LoL when shit goes down...but in Dota 2, it always seems like I am able to keep track of life bars and tags and such, even in middle of a huge brawl.

I know I've touched on this in previous posts, but the detail in this game... so awesome! The vast contrast in the Radiance side of the map vs. the Dire side really help sell the "good vs. evil" vibe. Every time I play I am truly awe struck.

Not to slight LoL (I still play it from time to time), but it makes me wonder how much creativity went into creating the Summoner's Rift map:

"So guys, how do we want to differentiate each side? What sort of details and nuances do we want to put in to emphasize their differences?"
"Purple vs. Blue!"

Summoners Rift is just the map cut in half and flipped upside down, fyi.

My other really awesome feature of Dota 2 is how they did the character graphics. I'm not sure what they did, or if it's some kind of shader effect, but in team fights, I can make things out so much more clearly than LoL. Things get very cluster fucky graphically in LoL when shit goes down...but in Dota 2, it always seems like I am able to keep track of life bars and tags and such, even in middle of a huge brawl.

I've noticed this as well actually. I'm muuuuch better able to differentiate what's going on in team fights in Dota2. Pathing is still about as bad, but the level of polish is so leagues ahead of LoL (pun intended) it's crazy. But..I mean Riot built that map on a shoestring budget and it works for what it is.

I know I've touched on this in previous posts, but the detail in this game... so awesome! The vast contrast in the Radiance side of the map vs. the Dire side really help sell the "good vs. evil" vibe. Every time I play I am truly awe struck.

Not to slight LoL (I still play it from time to time), but it makes me wonder how much creativity went into creating the Summoner's Rift map:

"So guys, how do we want to differentiate each side? What sort of details and nuances do we want to put in to emphasize their differences?"
"Purple vs. Blue!"

Summoners Rift is just the map cut in half and flipped upside down, fyi.

My other really awesome feature of Dota 2 is how they did the character graphics. I'm not sure what they did, or if it's some kind of shader effect, but in team fights, I can make things out so much more clearly than LoL. Things get very cluster fucky graphically in LoL when shit goes down...but in Dota 2, it always seems like I am able to keep track of life bars and tags and such, even in middle of a huge brawl.

I know what you mean. It doesn't happen quite so badly in HoN as it does in LoL (for me), but it still does to some degree. I don't know much about graphical technicalities when it comes to games, but is Dota 2 the only "true 3D" game of the 3? LoL and HoN have zoom features, but Dota 2's zoom actually changes the reference angle for every object when it zooms. I wonder if this is why hero differentiation is so much easier, or at least lends to it.

No, HoN and LoL are true 3D. Dota 2 just uses a better zooming algorithm than LoL and HoN do. From analyzing it, I think Dota 2 is doing a couple of things:

It always draws name bars/health bars ON TOP of particle effects. Always. In addition, name bars and health bars have a thin dark outline which makes them "pop".

In addition, it seems like Valve is doing some smart positioning, where as name tags start to stack, they smartly "re-arrange" themselves so that all nameplates are visible, rather than one nameplate or another drawing over the top of the others. This is a technique they took from Blizzard/WoW.

I know I've touched on this in previous posts, but the detail in this game... so awesome! The vast contrast in the Radiance side of the map vs. the Dire side really help sell the "good vs. evil" vibe. Every time I play I am truly awe struck.

Not to slight LoL (I still play it from time to time), but it makes me wonder how much creativity went into creating the Summoner's Rift map:

"So guys, how do we want to differentiate each side? What sort of details and nuances do we want to put in to emphasize their differences?"
"Purple vs. Blue!"

Summoners Rift is just the map cut in half and flipped upside down, fyi.

My other really awesome feature of Dota 2 is how they did the character graphics. I'm not sure what they did, or if it's some kind of shader effect, but in team fights, I can make things out so much more clearly than LoL. Things get very cluster fucky graphically in LoL when shit goes down...but in Dota 2, it always seems like I am able to keep track of life bars and tags and such, even in middle of a huge brawl.

I've noticed this as well actually. I'm muuuuch better able to differentiate what's going on in team fights in Dota2. Pathing is still about as bad, but the level of polish is so leagues ahead of LoL (pun intended) it's crazy. But..I mean Riot built that map on a shoestring budget and it works for what it is.

Same here about knowing what is going on in a teamfight, but a part of it to me is less the graphics and more the sounds: It's a lot easier to know what happens from the distinct ability sounds and the character quips. A lot of it is small, but I've come to appreciate things like Pudge's ult having a global sound, Zeus going "YOU CAN'T RUN FROM HEAVEN" whenever he scores a kill with his ult, knowing which spell Omniknight cast just by listening to his quip (not the lines he uses, but the way he says them - his heal quips have a noticeably harsher sound than his repel quips), and overall just having louder attack sounds when they hit you.

For an actual slight against LoL, Bloodseeker's ult in DOTA 2 is not anti-fun solely from the soundwork.

I just watched an Anti-mage buy three Divine Rapiers in a single game and lose them all. It was hilarious to see them bounce between the two teams. Almost every single character on both teams had a rapier at one point or another, including the Puck and the Dazzle. Rapiers make for really entertaining games!

I just watched an Anti-mage buy three Divine Rapiers in a single game and lose them all. It was hilarious to see them bounce between the two teams. Almost every single character on both teams had a rapier at one point or another, including the Puck and the Dazzle. Rapiers make for really entertaining games!

Glad to see someone else caught that game on SyndereN's stream. They had a quest: everyone must build force staff and eul's except AM who must farm rapiers. Also had to kill enemy slardar 20 times. Made for one hilarious clusterfuck of a game

Back in March, Valve wrote this on the blog: "In addition, we’ll be giving the most active Dota 2 players some more copies to gift to friends. This will be done on a regional basis based on available capacity, starting with US West."

I'm European, and I've yet to receive any extra invites. Can anyone confirm/deny if the extra invites for EU have been sent, so I know if I just didn't get any, or if they'll come at a later time? Thanks in advance!

Was in low priority for a couple of hours (maybe longer, not sure when it took effect actually). I'm not sure what got me in, it's either my sporadic demonstrations of BM or the abandon in my last game where I announced I was going to leave and my team promised to report me (something came up and I was just announcing how much time I had left to play in the game). Next time I have to abandon, I'm just going to do it silently. I have 2 abandons total out of around 120 games, btw.

You weren't in the low priority queue. It says it in red letters when you are while match making.

Sorry if this isn't the place, but does anyone have a spare DOTA2 beta key they could gift me? i just downloaded stellar impact but it just isn't scratching that itch.

(steam name is spafey, can trade for Smnc beta key)

spafey on April 2012

I ate the entire cake. At one point, I remember becoming aware of the oppressive fullness building inside of me, but I kept eating out of a combination of spite and stubbornness. No one could tell me not to eat an entire cake - not my mom, not Santa, not God - no one. I would eat cake whenever I damn well pleased. It was my cake and everyone else could go fuck themselves.

Was in low priority for a couple of hours (maybe longer, not sure when it took effect actually). I'm not sure what got me in, it's either my sporadic demonstrations of BM or the abandon in my last game where I announced I was going to leave and my team promised to report me (something came up and I was just announcing how much time I had left to play in the game). Next time I have to abandon, I'm just going to do it silently. I have 2 abandons total out of around 120 games, btw.

You weren't in the low priority queue. It says it in red letters when you are while match making.

Yes, I had those letters. Hence me thinking I was in low priority queue and coming here to show how long that extends the wait time.

Was in low priority for a couple of hours (maybe longer, not sure when it took effect actually). I'm not sure what got me in, it's either my sporadic demonstrations of BM or the abandon in my last game where I announced I was going to leave and my team promised to report me (something came up and I was just announcing how much time I had left to play in the game). Next time I have to abandon, I'm just going to do it silently. I have 2 abandons total out of around 120 games, btw.

You weren't in the low priority queue. It says it in red letters when you are while match making.

Yes, I had those letters. Hence me thinking I was in low priority queue and coming here to show how long that extends the wait time.

I still don't know exactly how that punishment system works, but it is pretty harsh. I spent some time in the low prio queue when I got my first abandon in about 100 games. Which is a bit tough, but then again I really want it to be.

Was in low priority for a couple of hours (maybe longer, not sure when it took effect actually). I'm not sure what got me in, it's either my sporadic demonstrations of BM or the abandon in my last game where I announced I was going to leave and my team promised to report me (something came up and I was just announcing how much time I had left to play in the game). Next time I have to abandon, I'm just going to do it silently. I have 2 abandons total out of around 120 games, btw.

You weren't in the low priority queue. It says it in red letters when you are while match making.

Yes, I had those letters. Hence me thinking I was in low priority queue and coming here to show how long that extends the wait time.

Says nothing of the sort in the pic you linked, which is why I commented.